Several powerhouses sweeten up Sweet 16

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Forgive Norfolk State and Lehigh, but those Cinderellas had to get home.

No. 13 seed Ohio stuck around by sending home No. 12 South Florida on Sunday night to remain the NCAA tournament's lone surprise. For a tournament short on buzzer-beaters and big on blue bloods, it's time to turn our attention to the big dogs in the Sweet 16, where mostly Nos. 1-4 seeds reside.

While unique storylines — thanks again, VCU team of 2011 — are quirky and cute, there's something to be said about battle lines that are drawn between powerhouses.

Maybe the nation can get behind the Spartans — that's also Norfolk State's mascot in case you forgot already — but there's a legion of green-and-white Spartans fans from East Lansing, Mich., who are thirsting to make a ninth Final Four.

Michigan State, the No. 1 seed in the West Region, is one of the four top seeds still alive and looking like a serious contender. No. 1 Kentucky is knocking teams out of the way like they're CYO squads.

The other No. 1s suddenly look shaky without two of their most essential players.

Syracuse has been playing without center Fab Melo, who will miss the tournament entirely because of eligibility issues. Size won't be required in the East Region against slow-it-down, ugly-it-up No. 4 Wisconsin (holding opponents to a nation-leading 52.9 points per game), but for possible Elite Eight opponent Ohio State it will matter.

North Carolina point guard Kendall Marshall could miss the Midwest Region with a broken right wrist, opening the door for Ohio to slip into the Elite Eight.

As Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said Sunday after shaking off ninth-seeded Saint Louis, "The games are getting tougher now."

And the plots juicier.

Do you really want to get between an Indiana fan and a Kentucky fan this week? Separating a pit bull from a pant leg would be easier than brokering peace between those fans in the South Region.

After Kentucky and star Anthony Davis breezed by its first two opponents, here comes an emotional whirlwind against the fourth-seeded Hoosiers, who are making their first Sweet 16 appearance since 2002.

Indiana's last-second win over Kentucky in December on a 3-pointer by Christian Watford marked the team's return to national relevance. Beating the Wildcats again would only underline the Hoosiers' return to elite status.

Asked about Kentucky coach John Calipari jokingly saying that he's thankful ESPN replays the clip of that game-winner, Indiana coach Tom Crean shot back, "It goes in every time. It never changes. And there's still a hand up in front of him."

Bad blood, let the boiling commence.

Michigan State's road was paved easier thanks to the elimination of No. 2 seed Missouri, which lost to Norfolk State in its opener.

Louisville's press represents an intriguing battle of defenses against ugly-it-up Michigan State in the West, where No. 3 Marquette and No. 7 Florida also face off.

The Spartans, who have been to 10 of the last 15 Sweet 16s, like to remind everyone they're not the veterans everyone makes them out to be.

"Everyone always forgets that we still have a very young team who doesn't have a lot of tournament experience," forward Draymond Green said.

Saint Louis coach Rick Majerus saw through that line.

"These aren't the nets he wants to cut down," he said, "nor are the Elite Eight nets. He should be able to cut down the Final Four nets."

That's what every team is after now.

Even double-digit seeds. After all, that has become the norm with Butler's two title-game appearances.

Without the Bulldogs this season, there's No. 13 Ohio and No. 10 Xavier to get behind.

As Wolfpack coach Mark Gottfried said, "The great thing about this tournament is regardless of experience or veteran team, young team, when the games start, anything can happen. That's why I call it the greatest show on Earth."